What is organic coffee?
Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic
production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and
fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic
farmers abide by the law.

What does it mean to be certified?
In order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be produced in accordance
with U.S. standards for organic production and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. U.S. requirements for coffee production include farming without synthetic pesticides or other
prohibited substances for three years and a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of
soil nutrients, and control for pests.

What is the size of the U.S. market?
Organic Trade Association data shows that coffee sales in the United States amounted to approximately $110
million in 2006, up 24 percent from the previous year. Other studies show the figure could be much higher. A
2007 survey by Daniele Giovannucci and the Costa Rica-based Sustainable Markets Intelligence Center (CIMS)
reported that approximately 65 million pounds of organic coffee were imported into the United States in 2006
with a retail value of approximately $617 million. The authors estimate the organic coffee sector represented
2.3 percent of the total U.S. green coffee imports in 2006. The 33 percent annual average growth rate for the
organic category documented by the researchers between 2000 and 2007 dwarfs the estimated 1.5-2 percent
projected annual growth rate of the conventional coffee industry.

Where is this coffee grown?
This coffee is grown in 40 countries including Bolivia, Burundi, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia,
Kenya, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Timore-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, United States
(Hawaii), Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zambia. The leading producer countries are Peru, Ethiopia, and Mexico.

What is the size of the world market?
Global sales reached 67,000 metric tons (or about 148 million pounds) in 2006, a 56 percent increase from
2003 when approximately 42,000 MT were exported. Forty-four percent of the total was consumed in North
America, of which approximately 85 percent was consumed in the United States.

What products are in the marketplace?
These coffee products now on the market include decaffeinated, caffeinated, flavored and instant coffees, ice
cream and yogurt, coffee sodas, hard candies, and chocolate covered beans.

What do the labels mean?
The USDA organic seal can appear on any coffee product that contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients
and that has been certified as organic by a certification agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The coffee may also carry a label saying “100 percent organic” or “Organic.”

Fair Trade
Fair Trade certification focuses on labor and trade standards to provide small-farmer co-operatives a
guaranteed price above the conventional market. Not all Fair Trade Certifiedä coffee is necessarily organic.
However, Fair Trade CertifiedTM does require strict environmental stewardship such as prohibiting the use of
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the most hazardous pesticides. Seventy-eight percent of all Fair
Trade CertifiedTM coffee sold in the United States is certified organic. In the United States, transactions must be
audited by TransFair USA to use a Fair Trade CertifiedTM label. Certified organic producers of Fair Trade coffee
receive at least $1.55/lb (as of June 1, 2008).

Bird Friendly®
Bird Friendly® can only be used by operators that meet inspection and certification requirements of the
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. All certified Bird Friendly® coffee must also be certified organic. Bird
Friendly® certification requires that the coffee be shade-grown with a wide variety of native shade trees and
other shade-providing species. No synthetic chemicals can be used in the processing of Bird Friendly® coffee.
For information on other eco-labels that may appear on organic coffee, see www.eco-labels.org.

Article Source: Organic Trade Association

Organic Coffee
Fair Trade Coffee

Growing 100% Organic

Facts About Organic Fair Trade Coffee

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Organic coffee offers you a cup, free of pesticides, herbicides and other
manufactured chemicals which is not only healthier for you, but also safer
for the farmer who grows it.

By choosing Organic Coffee you are choosing the best ingredients for all
coffee lovers, yourself and your family. By purchasing this coffee you
support the farmers who decide to grow coffee using these methods, and
help them repay their debt and sustain them economically.